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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a suspected counterfeit alcoholic drinks production facility in Aba, Abia State, with equipment, materials and other components valued at more than N500 million.
The agency disclosed the discovery in a statement on Monday, October 19, 2026, detailing an enforcement operation carried out at No. 25 Omenazu Street in Aba, following intelligence on suspected illegal alcohol production activities.
The latest discovery comes less than a week after NAFDAC announced the seizure of counterfeit packaging materials for alcoholic beverages and other products worth over N200 million in the same city.
NAFDAC uncovers N500 million facility
According to NAFDAC, its enforcement officers raided the facility after receiving credible intelligence and discovered that suspected counterfeit alcoholic beverages were being produced under unhygienic conditions.
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The agency disclosed that the individual believed to be operating the facility escaped when its officials arrived, leaving behind materials suspected to have been used in the production and packaging of counterfeit whisky.
- “The suspected operator reportedly fled upon the team’s arrival, abandoning a vehicle in which counterfeit packaging materials bearing the names of Sir Edwards Scotch Whisky and Scottish Hills Whisky, empty bottles and a drum containing approximately 200 litres of liquid were found,” NAFDAC stated.
Further inspection of the premises revealed bottle caps, sealing machines, empty bottles, cartons and storage tanks containing unidentified liquid mixtures, alongside dirty sieves allegedly used during production.
Officials also discovered plastic containers and 200-litre drums holding ethanol, including some containing tree bark soaked in the substance, raising concerns about the safety of alcoholic beverages potentially produced at the facility.
- “The estimated value of the equipment, materials and facility components is over N500 million,” the agency disclosed.
NAFDAC urged Nigerians to report suspected illegal manufacturing operations through its official communication channels to support ongoing enforcement efforts.
NAFDAC intensifies counterfeit alcohol crackdown
The latest discovery adds to a series of enforcement operations targeting counterfeit alcoholic beverages and packaging materials across major commercial centres in Nigeria.
Four days earlier, NAFDAC seized counterfeit alcoholic beverage packaging materials valued at over N200 million during an operation targeting five shops at the Old Court Road Market in Aba, Abia State.
- In a separate operation at the International Trade Fair Complex in Lagos, the agency confiscated counterfeit alcoholic beverages estimated to be worth more than N2 billion.
- The Lagos operation uncovered more than 20 illegal stores where suspected counterfeiters were allegedly mixing and imitating popular alcoholic drinks, extending the expiry dates of unsafe products and storing prohibited imported beverages for resale.
The discoveries highlight the scale of suspected counterfeit alcohol production and distribution activities uncovered by the agency across different parts of the country.
NAFDAC enforces ban on alcohol sachets
Beyond its crackdown on counterfeit products, NAFDAC has intensified enforcement against alcoholic beverages sold in prohibited packaging formats, particularly sachets and small plastic bottles.
- In July 2026, the agency launched a nationwide exercise to remove alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles with capacities below 200 millilitres from the market, as part of efforts to enforce restrictions on these products.
- Days after the exercise commenced, NAFDAC shut down three factories in Ogun State for allegedly manufacturing alcoholic beverages in banned sachets and PET bottles below the permitted capacity.
The enforcement measures form part of the agency’s broader efforts to tackle the production, packaging and distribution of alcoholic beverages that fail to comply with regulatory requirements.
